I am a little surprised that not more was changed, not that I think the 20D needed a hugh upgrade. I think it's Canon history of coming out with something that grabs the headline on these big shows that makes it a little disappointing that they didn't do it this time. The 1Ds, IDmkII, the Rebel and even the 20D broke new grounds and got people talking, and in that sense this is a let down. On the whole if they have not made technical improvements on the sensor process, I'm glad to see them keep the same resolution and not degrade signal-to-noise for more pixels.

I agree that for underwater use the 30D is not much improved over the 20D.

So, it would seem that the consensus is that it not enough of an improvement to warrant an upgrade from a 20D. What about from a 10D? It would seem that if I had one camera body that i wanted to replace for above water photography, it might be worth the jump (10D --> 30D). However, one wonders if it is worth it for underwater since the housing and spare body will no doubt have to be replaced as well. Seems to me that the better answer would be to try to shoehorn a 20D into my 10D housing if I really felt I had to upgrade.

And there lies my fear. All this positive talk/review of the 10-22 but, it is an EF-S lens. I love the 20D but in 5 years will EF-S be gone... I would consider the 10-22 more for topside as I am quite happy with the Sigma 15fe underwater.

You are correct, it's a big jump I haven't made yet myself as the Rebel XT bodies keep cranking along with more than 6,000 clicks each! That said, the viewfinder is spectacular, the feel and especially the low light / high ISO performance is what would make me go Canon 5D versus a 30D.

Plus being an Ikelite housing devotee I can keep using my ports, cords, eTTL2 capable strobes, etc. So maybe my thinking of upgrade path isn't the same as for others. with different systems to consider replacement costs in...

As Todd mentioned thinking of shooting a Canon 5D possibly in the future I did a lot of hand wringing before letting my Canon 10-22mm EF-S lens go.....But I did, swapping it to a wedding photographer buddy for his MINT Canon 70-200mm F4 L and some $$$$$$$$. On the Rebel XT this is a 112-320mm equivalent focal length view. Plenty for my needs....

Then I a bought a NEW Sigma 15mm EX and have even used as a wide angle on the surface with great results. Underwater as Todd states, it's a no brainer....Focuses to 6", no rings to attach, etc. Being a 15mm Fisheye, when / if I move to a Canon 5D, I'll have a 180 degree Fisheye ready to shoot.

Just a thought for you, Mikey!

dhaas

P.S. - Answering emails real quick remotely. Offline until tonight and then in all day tomorrow. Send the Flame Throwers In!!!

p.s. On a more serious note, it shows how much is in a name. If Canon had called this the 20Dn then we would have all focused on how much has changed. Whereas by calling it the 30D we focus on how little has changed...

p.s. On a more serious note, it shows how much is in a name. If Canon had called this the 20Dn then we would have all focused on how much has changed. Whereas by calling it the 30D we focus on how little has changed...

That's true to some extend. However, Canon has built an expectation of a 1.5 years product cycle and a new camera was expected. People also voiced disappointment at how little the 1DMkIIn differed from the ancient 1DMkII.

I think because I have a day job in the semiconductor industry, I tend to view the progress of DSLR's from that perspective. To me the big changes were:

D30 -> D60, 10D, 1Ds -> 1DMkII, 20D

where Canon made significant progress in the sensor. The Rebel and the 5D were also significant in the price break through they represent. The 30D is a non-event. Sensor technology is maturing and we'll probably not see much more progress on this front unless they come up with some major inovations.

... Seems to me that the better answer would be to try to shoehorn a 20D into my 10D housing if I really felt I had to upgrade.

Mike,

I agree 100%. As an affordable upgrade, if you can get a 20D to work in your existing housing, that would be a significant -- yet not terribly expensive -- upgrade that would serve you well for another 2-4 years. My guess is that by that time, you'll be able to do a full camera/housing upgrade -- to a 12mp, possibly full frame rig -- for roughly the same cost as a 30D and new housing would cost you right now. Thinking of it in those terms, you really don't get much bang for your buck with a 30D vs. putting a 20D in your existing housing. At least that's how I see it!

Bruce Yateswww.UnderwaterReflections.com
Lumix GX8 in Nauticam, Canon 5DMkII in Aquatica, 1DsMkII in Seacam, G15 in RecSea...Inon Z240's...too many lenses"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damned fool about it." WC Fields

Why not make these DSLR's upgradable like a computer? The lenses don't change nor most of the components, right? A little software and a new CMOS and you got a new camera! Seems like a waste to make new bodies for incremental changes, not to mention the u/w housing prices! [Sorry Ike, but we could buy more strobes that way!]

As far as I know, the Kodak SLR/N was the only camera that gave a factory sensor upgrade from their 1st FF SLR. Also, the Fuji S3 has a memory upgrade.

I doubt we will ever see a user upgrade for the sensor. I think it's unlikely that a camera can be designed to do that without a big compromise on size, weight and egonomics. After all, even laptops are not very upgradeable. It's easy to swap disc and add memory but everything else is fixed. It's only big desktops with little size and weight issues that are easy to upgrade.

For most people, just selling the old one on Ebay is fairly efficient. I don't think Canon or Nikon worries much about those of us with thousands of $$ tied up in a housing.

Interests:I spend most of my time alpine climbing, hiking, mtn. biking, or skiing. When I can get away it is to travel for climbing or diving. Been doing this nonsense for way too long to do anything different.

Posted 01 March 2006 - 08:58 AM

If you did not own a camera previously and were looking to get a new model one would this be the one? (Less than $2,000 for the actual camera)???

There are quite a few people out there who are 20D shooters and seem to be quite pleased with that body. Much of the latest changes in the 30D are more minor upgrades making it as some have said a 20D2. The noises people (myself included) have made about the disappointment is mostly that these upgrades took a bit long for what they were.

That said, yes it is a camera worth looking at. I am about to go this route. The bigger decision when starting out to a certain degree not so much the body but the glass. There are now two routes for crop sensor cameras with Canon EF lenses or EF-S. The latter are digital only and only for the 20d, 30d, 350XT, and 300. With underwater you are going to drop another $2k for the housing for a particular body.